The paintbrushes were out in Citizen’s Bank Park on Tuesday night, and Andrew Painter illustrated a masterpiece on the mound during his MLB debut for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The soon-to-be 23-year-old dipped into his palette to throw a heat-seeking fastball and colorful changeups, curveballs and sliders that helped him scatter eight strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings of a 3-2 win against the Washington Nationals.
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Painter, a 6-foot-7 righty, allowed only one run while giving up four hits and one walk for the Phillies (2-3), who scored two of their three runs on solo shots from designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and right fielder Adolis García.
Philadelphia staked itself to a 3-0 lead before the Nationals (3-2) scrapped in the sixth and seventh innings to make it a one-run game. Painter’s earned run came after he already received his standing ovation from a delighted Philly crowd, as CJ Abrams scored on a throwing error by García later in the frame.
The Phillies selected Painter with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Close to five years later, he made his first start for the club.
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Last year, Painter’s ERA ballooned to 5.40 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he had a hard time rediscovering his mojo and fleshing out his pitching arsenal after returning from Tommy John surgery.
This year, the most important of his professional career, is off to a much better start. He took a step forward in spring training, and he made the leap on Tuesday in his first major-league appearance.
It didn’t take Painter long to reward fans who have patiently waited for him to reach this stage. In fact, he struck out his first batter, 2025 All-Star James Wood.
Painter ran into some trouble in the second when he conceded back-to-back singles to start the inning, including one to Daylen Lile, who has started the season on a five-game hitting streak. But he got out of that jam unscathed.
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Then the Ks began to mount. In the fifth, Painter punched out Wood again while striking out the side.
An already robust Phillies starting rotation that features Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo looks even stronger with Painter in the fold.
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